Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Discussion of newer designs, copies and reissue offset-waist instruments.
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jasonpetzold
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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by jasonpetzold » Mon Nov 25, 2019 11:03 am

Hmm, something is up. Or these are refinishes Stratosphere got a hold of? There was a body a couple days ago too.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2019-USA-Fende ... cvip-panel

weird because Marr has said he doesn’t like matching headstocks before...maybe he has seen the light?

Ps - I may or may not be making a NGD post soon... :ph34r:

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by Hoyt54 » Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:14 pm

The KO Marr Jag is one of the few guitars I regret selling a few years back. I had a Staytrem on mine to fix the E strings falling off the fretboard. Did Fender ever end up fixing that by putting the correct width bridge on? If so, is there a certain year I should start looking at for the fixed ones, being that Staytrem doesn't ship to the US anymore?

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by akpasta » Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:42 pm

Hoyt54 wrote:
Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:14 pm
The KO Marr Jag is one of the few guitars I regret selling a few years back. I had a Staytrem on mine to fix the E strings falling off the fretboard. Did Fender ever end up fixing that by putting the correct width bridge on? If so, is there a certain year I should start looking at for the fixed ones, being that Staytrem doesn't ship to the US anymore?
I think they started shipping them with the correct bridge this year. Fender sells them with correct bridges now. I think they might sell them as parts too.

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by Hoyt54 » Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:48 pm

akpasta wrote:
Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:42 pm
Hoyt54 wrote:
Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:14 pm
The KO Marr Jag is one of the few guitars I regret selling a few years back. I had a Staytrem on mine to fix the E strings falling off the fretboard. Did Fender ever end up fixing that by putting the correct width bridge on? If so, is there a certain year I should start looking at for the fixed ones, being that Staytrem doesn't ship to the US anymore?
I think they started shipping them with the correct bridge this year. Fender sells them with correct bridges now. I think they might sell them as parts too.
Perfect, thank you! I'll keep an eye out for the 2019s then.

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by timtam » Fri Dec 27, 2019 4:35 pm

akpasta wrote:
Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:42 pm
I think they started shipping them with the correct bridge this year. Fender sells them with correct bridges now. I think they might sell them as parts too.
Yes .. I believe Riley has been the only source of the new 52mm E-E spaced Marr bridge (7712971000) as a part (7.25" radius ). Currently out of stock but Riley will tell you when parts are likely to be back in stock ...
https://darrenriley.com/store/fender-jo ... 712971000/
"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by Django » Wed Jan 29, 2020 11:16 am

Hi, I just bought my first offset: a brand new OW JM Jaguar!

I couldn't try one as they are quite rare to find in shops here in the EU so I am just laying hands on it for the first time today.

Looks/feels incredible. Trem arm is blast. No issues.

The tones however, are maybe not exactly what I was expecting. Maybe it is because of the pickup polarity but the sound is so focused, not really getting that surf twang I was expecting from a jaguar. It can do really convincing sounding Smiths riffs on my JazzChorus amp, no surprise there I guess!

I love Johnny Marr but have no intent on covering him or The Smiths. I want that vintage Jaguar tone.

Perhaps the simplified rhythm circuit is what is keeping those tones apart? Would fitting higher gauge strings help?

I've got 30 days to return it so I'm not really sweating it but am starting to wonder if perhaps I should've gone with an Original 60's Jaguar re-issue?

Can the JM Jag get me to surf city? or should i repackage this beauty and go with a more traditional Jaguar?

Also if i do keep it, can the Jaguar mute system be retrofitted easily?

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by Francer » Wed Jan 29, 2020 12:15 pm

This might help you decide, or at least give you some idea what the differences are. Also, Don’t forget the AO will have a 9.5 fretboard radius if that’s important to you.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AHiX4LNx_EU

Although, that’s an AV65 jag vs a JM, not an AO, and I’ve got a feeling the the AO uses the old AVRI 62 pups not the the AV65 ones. So I’m not actually sure how useful the video will actually be, but I only just realised that, and I’m not wasting all this typing ... :fp:

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by timtam » Wed Jan 29, 2020 4:23 pm

Django wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 11:16 am
Maybe it is because of the pickup polarity but the sound is so focused, not really getting that surf twang I was expecting from a jaguar.....
...
Perhaps the simplified rhythm circuit is what is keeping those tones apart?
The rhythm circuit in a conventional jag is totally out of circuit when switched to lead. So the lead circuit sound on a conventional jag is totally unaffected by it. The 'lead circuit-like' configurations on the Marr 4way have the same signal flow and components as in a conventional jag (except for the pickups). I have a jag with PV65s and the Marr-like but even simpler Am Pro circuit, and it's plenty twangy.

The absence of RWRP on the Marr's Bare Knuckles when paired has a debatable/unproven effect, esp when the two pickups are not combined (series or parallel) ... unless maybe if the pickups are really close to the strings. As for the effect when they are combined . .. the combination should not be less noisy as a RWRP pair would be.

Do you feel you're getting at least near to what that JM vs AV65 video shows ? (esp in the single bridge and single neck positions). If not I would experiment with pickup height.

And indeed the AO does have the 62 pickups (0054491000/0054494000) as in the AVRI62 not the AV/PV65's.
https://darrenriley.com/store/fender-am ... 054491000/
"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by Django » Thu Jan 30, 2020 1:43 am

timtam wrote:
Wed Jan 29, 2020 4:23 pm

Do you feel you're getting at least near to what that JM vs AV65 video shows ? (esp in the single bridge and single neck positions). If not I would experiment with pickup height.
God no. However i notice that guy is playing through a $3K boutique amp! Maybe I need to start by upping my amp game..
What do you guys recommend under $1K for classic surf tones? Fender Princeton? I really like the tone of the intro of that video.

Btw, the axe is growing on me! It's definitely got something special, the way it feels/resonates.

I'm starting to understand why this edition has gotten a cult status.. I think it might be a keeper afterall!

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by Django » Thu Jan 30, 2020 10:35 am

Ok one super annoying thing: the guitar is super noisy when you let go the strings. Any fix/trick for that?

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by jmsrsstr » Thu Jan 30, 2020 11:00 am

I played in a surf band for over a decade, and passed through a number of guitars through those years. Nothing will ever come as close to sounding “surf” as a Jazzmaster with nice and heavy nickel-wound strings. I played it through a Vox AC30, which isn’t a “surf” amp at all, but with the right pedal combination, I was able to emulate what I needed (NB I played rhythm mainly, but did do lead here and there too). I have the JM Jaguar now, and it’s a wonderful guitar, but if I were to play surf music again (I left the country and therefore the band), I’d still reach for my JM. That said, the right reverb pedals overtop of any guitar can make it sound surf - heck, I played my 1966 Gibson ES330 in the surf band and it sounded fine with some nice reverb over it (fwiw, I’ve got the Strymon Flint and it’s got some killer 60s reverb sounds on it). I guess bottom line is make sure you’ve got some nice reverb and I’m sure you can get something decent out of it... The amp matters, but the reverb (whether in-amp or pedal) is more important for that sound.

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by timtam » Thu Jan 30, 2020 5:18 pm

Django wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 10:35 am
Ok one super annoying thing: the guitar is super noisy when you let go the strings. Any fix/trick for that?
That's the sign of normally grounded strings (ie reduced noise when you are grounded by the strings) in a noisy environment and/or high gain. Plus with the Marr you don't have the benefit of reduced hum with RWRP in the middle position because of some questionable theory from its designers about the effect on opposite magnet polarities (if RWRP) on string motion; so both Bare Knuckle magnets are the same polarity (difficult to change that).
https://youtu.be/_HQQSYa7nDg (see around 5:00; JM describes the pickups as a little darker than conventional jags; Bill P says that same-magnetic-polarity affects the series sound, and then also suggests the string 'wobble' curious argument)

But the Marr has decent vintage-style shielding - brass plates and aluminium pickguard shield (grounded from the bridge pickup cavity) plus the jag's grounded metal control plates ... it's questionable whether you could improve much on that (has anyone tried ?) ...
Image
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"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by volhoo » Fri Jan 31, 2020 5:33 pm

jmsrsstr wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 11:00 am
I played in a surf band for over a decade, and passed through a number of guitars through those years. Nothing will ever come as close to sounding “surf” as a Jazzmaster with nice and heavy nickel-wound strings. I played it through a Vox AC30, which isn’t a “surf” amp at all, but with the right pedal combination, I was able to emulate what I needed (NB I played rhythm mainly, but did do lead here and there too). I have the JM Jaguar now, and it’s a wonderful guitar, but if I were to play surf music again (I left the country and therefore the band), I’d still reach for my JM. That said, the right reverb pedals overtop of any guitar can make it sound surf - heck, I played my 1966 Gibson ES330 in the surf band and it sounded fine with some nice reverb over it (fwiw, I’ve got the Strymon Flint and it’s got some killer 60s reverb sounds on it). I guess bottom line is make sure you’ve got some nice reverb and I’m sure you can get something decent out of it... The amp matters, but the reverb (whether in-amp or pedal) is more important for that sound.
coolness - cheers

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by Django » Sun Feb 02, 2020 3:53 am

jmsrsstr wrote:
Thu Jan 30, 2020 11:00 am
I played in a surf band for over a decade, and passed through a number of guitars through those years. Nothing will ever come as close to sounding “surf” as a Jazzmaster with nice and heavy nickel-wound strings. I played it through a Vox AC30, which isn’t a “surf” amp at all, but with the right pedal combination, I was able to emulate what I needed (NB I played rhythm mainly, but did do lead here and there too). I have the JM Jaguar now, and it’s a wonderful guitar, but if I were to play surf music again (I left the country and therefore the band), I’d still reach for my JM. That said, the right reverb pedals overtop of any guitar can make it sound surf - heck, I played my 1966 Gibson ES330 in the surf band and it sounded fine with some nice reverb over it (fwiw, I’ve got the Strymon Flint and it’s got some killer 60s reverb sounds on it). I guess bottom line is make sure you’ve got some nice reverb and I’m sure you can get something decent out of it... The amp matters, but the reverb (whether in-amp or pedal) is more important for that sound.
Ok, played a 60's Jazzmaster RI yesterday and yup that's the sound. Also loved the rhythm circuit... which is now making me doubt even more about my guitar choice. I feel kinda stupid buying the JM-J without trying out other offset options. Don't get me wrong, I can recognize it as being a very fine crafted guitar, I'm just not finding the two bright switches on the Marrguar to be that incredibly useful for me personally. The pseudo-humbucking fourth position is cool though.

Really kind of torn right now. Marrguars are kinda rare here in Europe, whereas Jazzmasters are in every guitar shop. Would it be foolish for me to return the Marr for a JM? Should i try and stick with the Marr? Playing-wise I've never had such a good feeling experience. I just find the pickup tone a little too 'straight' and 'focused' for my taste..

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Re: Johnny Marr Sig Jaguar

Post by jmsrsstr » Sun Feb 02, 2020 11:39 am

My solution has been one of each ;-) But understanding that’s not always feasible, what about buying a cheaper Mascis/Squire Jazzmaster (or a used one) to supplement? Even if not right away, always something you could do in 6 months or a year... That said, I had a Fender Cyclone II for a while and felt the same as you do about the Marrguar - ended up ditching that for something that gave me a better tone. I don’t think the Marrguars are that rare in Europe either - I guess different colours will be harder to find, but a quick google shows white and orange ones readily available at reputable dealers...

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